Chapter 152: The Second Warlord
After everything was explained, Kuma prepared to leave as well.
He left his Den Den Mushi number with Ian, instructing him to contact him once he found their next foothold. He would send Konenai and the others to rendezvous with Ian after the World Conference ended and their mission was complete.
This was a form of assistance arranged for Ian by the Revolutionary Army.
Since he had to find a way to deal with the pursuing Marines, the more help the better, and Ian naturally wouldn't refuse.
Kuma left silently. Ian watched him go, then returned to the banquet venue.
However, Ian didn't know that Kuma wasn't the only Warlord member he would encounter on this island...
The celebratory banquet that day lasted late into the night. After leaving some people on watch, everyone fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, after dawn broke, the people on the ship began to bustle about.
The ship had been docked at this island for several days. This wasn't just because Ian hadn't woken up yet, but also because the repair progress was exceptionally slow.
There was no helping it, mainly due to a lack of materials. This deserted island only had some low shrubs and wild fruit trees. Having formed only a dozen or so years ago, the vegetation on the island barely covered the ground. There was no good timber to be found for repairing the ship.
Among the slaves Ian had rescued, there were all sorts of people, including several who had worked as shipwrights. But even the most skilled craftsman cannot work without materials; without supplies, they couldn't repair the ship either.
After learning about this situation, Ian also felt some worry. The damage to the hull was manageable, but the critical rudder had snapped off, and that was beyond their ability to fix.
Without repairing the ship, they couldn't leave the island. From his conversation with Kuma yesterday, Ian also realized that two Vice Admirals were currently leading teams in the New World searching for the slaves who had escaped from Mary Geoise. If their forward search yielded nothing, they might become suspicious and turn back.
"Where's the nearest island? One with people living on it!" Ian gathered everyone on the ship and asked.
However, everyone looked at each other, unsure how to answer.
"What's wrong?" Ian was puzzled by their expressions.
"Captain, we can't get there!" a shipwright replied. "The ship can't sail. Even if we could send some Fish-Man brothers to buy materials, how would they bring them back? And there's another most important problem: we have no money now!"
The title "Captain" was something Ian had asked them to call him last night. Otherwise, they kept calling him "Benefactor" over and over, which made him feel awkward.
Hearing the shipwright's words, Ian slapped his forehead.
Right. Even if they found an inhabited island, so what? They were penniless now. The slaves naturally had nothing to say; having escaped from Mary Geoise, could they be expected to have money? And Ian himself—he had gotten so much money from the Celestial Dragons' treasure room, but he had recharged it all into Diamonds. He had Diamonds left over, but how could he get the system to exchange Diamonds back into Berries for him?
The rudder that needed replacing couldn't be made by just cutting down any tree. It required pure, dry timber, and also needed processes like lacquering. This had to be purchased with money.
Thinking this over, Ian couldn't help but look at the Fish-Man members. Could he really just have them tow the ship to an inhabited island?
They'd probably be exhausted to death...
"If it really doesn't work, we can only pray for a ship to pass by nearby and then rob it!" Sardine suggested.
Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling this seemed like the only option.
"Alright then!" Ian wasn't one to be rigid either, so he said, "Fish-Man brothers, you'll have to work hard. Patrol the waters around the island's perimeter. If you see any ships passing by, report back as soon as possible!"
"Got it, Captain!" the Fish-Man members nodded in acknowledgment.
Ian had already decided to form a pirate crew. The Revolutionary Army wasn't interfering with his actions, meaning he had free rein. Kuma's suggestion that he become a Warlord also seemed like a good idea to Ian. The prerequisite for becoming a Warlord was to have fame and strength, so forming a pirate crew and building a reputation was an inevitable step.
Ian also felt that this was quite interesting. Before, he had been a Pirate Hunter, making money by catching pirates. Now, he had transformed and become a pirate himself.
To Ian, whether pirate or Pirate Hunter, it was just a matter of identity. As long as he could make money, he didn't care much. But before, he was the one chasing others; now, others were chasing him, which felt quite strange to him.
He had also thought that this pursuit was actually an opportunity. His previous battle with Aokiji, though he had managed to injure him, had also exposed many of his problems.
One of these was his level. A higher level meant his cards could give him higher attribute boosts, and also unlock new card slots, which were closely related to his own strength.
Before, because of his identity as a Pirate Hunter, he could only seek out pirates to fight, gaining experience only after defeating them. So leveling up was quite slow.
But now it was different. The Marines were chasing him, meaning he could fight them. At the same time, with a bounty of five hundred million Berries hanging over his head, many Bounty Hunters coveting his reward would come looking for him. And similarly, as a pirate, he could also attack other pirates. In other words, the number of his enemies had increased, and he could now unrestrainedly enter a monster-grinding mode.
Each stage's situation was different, so adjustments had to be made accordingly. Before, Ian was short on money for card draws, so being a Pirate Hunter was good for earning. Now, he needed to level up quickly and find more enemies to fight, so the pirate identity became useful.
Ian had thought about these ideas before. When he rescued these slaves, there was perhaps an unspoken intention behind it. These freed slaves, having shared hardships together, had a foundation of camaraderie. Moreover, some of them were originally from powerful warrior races, making them perfect as the core of a pirate crew.
It could be said that the prototype of a pirate crew was already in place. All that remained was to think of a suitable name, but Ian hadn't decided on one yet.
After sending the Fish-Man brothers out to patrol, Ian began to busy himself with other matters.
Among the rescued slaves, there were many women and children, making up the majority. Many of them still had living relatives and needed to be sent back. Rescuing them was a good deed, but if the good deed couldn't be carried through, it might turn into a bad one. These women and children were ordinary people. If left to fend for themselves, they wouldn't be able to return on their own and might die from some minor accident along the way.
What Ian was doing now was registering the names and destinations of those who needed to be sent back.
However, when he started registering, Ian realized it was really difficult.
Although most of these people were from near Sabaody Archipelago, there were also some from other places, like the North Blue and West Blue. Sending them all back one by one would take up a lot of Ian's time.
Just as he was feeling very troubled, Margaret brought him lunch. Seeing his worried expression, she couldn't help but ask him about it.
Ian knew he wasn't all-powerful. Perhaps it was best to ask for others' opinions, so he told her about the matter.
"Actually, Captain, you're overthinking it!" Margaret shook her head. "For us, the most important issue now is our identity. The Celestial Dragon brand is hard to erase. If someone sees it, we'll be discovered. But if we can cover up that brand, no one will know we were slaves. Then, as long as we have a little money, we can find a way to return on our own."
Ian thought about it and realized she was right. Although sailing the Grand Line was difficult, there were always merchant ships traveling. As long as their slave identity wasn't exposed, they could travel freely like ordinary people.
But how to remove the slave brand? Ian pondered. "Do we really have to cover it up with another brand, like the original Sun Pirates did?"
Due to his leg and wrist injuries, Ian was also trying to heal himself with Shura's card. He had thought about using Shura's card's healing effect to erase these brands. But after experimenting, he found it didn't work. Many people's brands were old, having been left long ago. They were old scars, and healing couldn't take effect.
Using another pattern to brand over it might be tolerable for men, but for these women and children, Ian really couldn't bear to make them suffer again.
Just as Ian was thinking about the Sun Pirates, unexpectedly, the next day at noon, the Fish-Man brothers sent out on patrol returned to report.
They had finally spotted the shadow of a ship on the sea. But the Fish-Man who came to report could barely contain his excitement and surprise, saying to Ian, "Captain, I saw the flag on that ship. It looks like... like the Fish-Man Pirates! It's... it's our Fish-Man boss, Jinbe!"
"Jinbe!?" Ian stood up in surprise and asked, "Are they heading toward this island?"
"Yeah!" The Fish-Man nodded vigorously. "They're coming this way! But without your permission, I didn't rashly contact them. After all... after all, Jinbe is a Warlord now..."
"Good work!" Ian praised him. "Let's go. Since they can find this place, let's go see what their intentions are!"